Messenger
February 14

Rus
Happy Valentine's, Jem. Nagustuhan mo ba ang regalo ko sa'yo? 😊

Jem
Happy Valentine's, Rus! ❤️ Tinatanong pa ba 'yan? Siyempre, nagustuhan ko! Ang arte ko naman kapag hindi. The Little Prince-themed jewelry set? It's amazing! 😭

Rus
I'm glad you liked it. Si Tali ba ang nag-abot sa'yo?

Jem
Oo. Lokaret 'yon, tinutukso pa ako kaninang umaga na kawawa raw ako dahil wala kang Valentine's gift sa akin. 'Yon pala, sa kanya mo ipinatago. Kasabwat mo na ang best friend ko, ha? 😂

Rus
Haha, yeah. She was actually nagging me about it. 'Wag ko raw kalimutan ang regalo ko sa'yo dahil kung hindi, malilintikan ako sa kanya. As if I could ever forget about it. 😁

Rus is typing...

Tali is a good friend. You're lucky to have her. Actually, you're both lucky to have each other.

Jem
Kaya nga, e. Buti na lang, hindi tuluyang nasira ang friendship namin.

Rus
Nang dahil sa akin? 🙃

Jem
Nope. Nang dahil sa akin. Dahil sa kagagahan ko. 🥴

Rus
At any rate, everything's fine now. You have to forgive yourself too, Jem.

Jem
Yup. Lesson learned na rin. Honesty is the best policy. 🙈

Jem is typing...

Kumusta nga pala? Naitanong mo na ba kay Prof. van Acker kung long-lost relatives kayo? 😛

Rus
Funny you should ask now. Halos kakatapos lang naming mag-usap.

Jem
Talaga? Anong sabi niya?

Rus
Apparently, he is Dad's uncle. He's the younger brother of my grandfather.

Jem
OMG! That makes him your grand-uncle, Rus. Nakakaloka! 😮

Rus
I know. Kahit ako, nagulat. Tama nga rin ang hinala ko na kilala na niya ako. He's been keeping track of Dad and Tita Rizzi ever since his brother Benjamin — that's Grandpa — died.

Rus is typing...

Richard wants me to call him Grandpa, too. I think it's sweet, actually.

Jem
Alam kaya ng dad mo ang tungkol sa kanya?

Rus
I don't think so. Dad doesn't talk about his father, almost like he didn't exist. Which is understandable, since he left them when Dad was still very young. I'd be surprised if he knows about Grandpa Richard. Or any other van Acker relative, for that matter.

Jem
Will you tell him, then? That you met Grandpa Richard?

Rus
I have to. If I don't, magugulat si Dad pag-uwi ko riyan. May kasama akong matandang Amerikano. 🤪

Jem
What? Sasama si Grandpa Richard pag-uwi mo rito?

Rus
Yup. He wants to meet Dad and Tita Rizzi. I get the feeling that he wants to make amends, for what his brother did. Trying to reconnect Benjamin's children to the rest of the family, you know. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Jem
That's cool. How is he? Mabait ba?

Rus
Yes, he's nice. He's like a much calmer version of Lolo Clint. Instead of guns, he always talks about books. 😂

Jem
Naku, baka magselos si Lolo Clint kay Grandpa Richard. 😆

Rus
Baka nga. Kine-claim pa naman ni Lolo Clint na sa kanya ko namana ang hilig ko sa pagsusulat. Turns out I have a great-uncle who's an actual literature professor. 😂

Jem
Sabihin mo na lang, parehas kang nagmana sa kanila ni Grandpa Richard. Sige ka, baka bantaan ka na naman no'n na babarilin ka niya, kapag nagselos siya.

Rus
Thanks for the tip. I won't put it past Lolo Clint to threaten me again, to be honest. 😝

Jem
Excited na akong mag-meet ang dalawang matanda. 🤭

Rus
Me too. Either Lolo Clint and Grandpa Richard would hit it off, or...

Jem
They will hit each other instead? 🥴

Rus
You got it. 😂

Seen 9:35 AM